Anatomical Forearm Protection

ABSTRACT

An anatomical forearm protection characterised by consisting of a substantially concave body ( 2 ) formed of indeformable rigid material provided with means ( 8 ) for its attachment to the forearm.

The present invention relates to an anatomical forearm protection.

In practising winter sports, in particular in competitive alpine skiing, the arm regions are protected by rigid or semi rigid paddings inserted into special garments/jackets to be used under jackets and suits or by soft paddings integrated or sewn into the suit itself.

Such protection is necessary because the skier tries to reduce the travelled distance by passing as close as possible to the gates (equipped with a spring which makes them articulated) and clears the gates with those body parts located in a favourable position, such as the forearm.

However these known protections suffer from certain drawbacks, and in particular:

-   -   poor protective provision,     -   non-elastic impact against obstacles, associated with high         absorption energy and friction generated during the impact, with         consequent reduction in the skier's speed.

In the case of semi rigid jackets there is also the drawback of reduced articular mobility and hence a limited capacity for movement by the athlete.

An object of the invention is therefore to eliminate these drawbacks by providing an anatomical protection which enables the impact to be distributed over a large surface area of the arm.

Another object of the invention is to provide an anatomical protection in which sliding friction against the gates is reduced to a minimum.

These and further objects which will be apparent from the ensuing description are attained according to the invention by an anatomical forearm protection as claimed in claim 1.

The present invention is further clarified hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a protection according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a view thereof from below, and

FIG. 4 shows it applied to an athlete's forearm.

As can be seen from the figures, the anatomical protection of the invention comprises substantially an anatomical shell made of plastic material reinforced with various fibres, in particular carbon, aramid or glass, or with other materials all characterised by high specific rigidity, i.e. having a high elastic modulus/specific gravity ratio.

The convex lateral surface of said protection is provided with a plurality of parallel ribs 4 all extending substantially longitudinally, the concave surface being covered by a dishing 6.

The shell is provided with two elasticated bands 8 fixed to the shell at their ends by rivets 10.

To attach the protection of the invention to the forearm, the athlete inserts his/her hand into the rings formed between the bands and the shell.

The protection could also be fixed directly to the athlete's glove 12 by rivets 14 or screws, to prevent possible interference between the edge of the protection and the gates themselves.

Because of their elasticity the bands enable the variation in the muscle cross-section to be accommodated during the athlete's movement.

From the aforegoing it is apparent that the protection according to the invention presents numerous advantages and in particular:

-   -   it presents no friction or space reduction phenomena within         clothes,     -   it enables a mainly elastic impact with low energy dissipation         to be achieved, as the impact is distributed over a large         surface area of the arm rather than being concentrated in a         small region,     -   it enables sliding friction against the gate to be reduced to a         minimum because of the presence of the ribs, which by reducing         the contact surface further increase slidability,     -   it enables the athlete, no longer preoccupied by impact with the         gate, to optimise the trajectory and hence achieve improved         performance. 

1. An anatomical forearm protector comprising a substantially concave body formed of indeformable rigid material, means for attachment to the forearm, and longitudinally extending ribs on the outer surface of the body.
 2. The protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is semi cylindrical.
 3. The protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is semi frusto conical.
 4. The protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the body is provided with longitudinally extending ribs.
 5. The protector as claimed in claims 1, wherein the attachment means comprise elasticated bands.
 6. The protector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for its fixing to a glove.
 7. A forearm protector comprising a concave body having a front edge, a back edge and a pair of side edges, the body made of rigid material, the back edge being longer than the front edge, the side edges being straight, at least one band attached to the body for attaching the body to an arm, and ribs on the outer surface extending from the front to the back of the body. 